And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to Jesus in the temple, and He healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that Jesus did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, And said unto Him, Do you hear what these say? And Jesus said unto them, Yes; have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have perfected praise? And Jesus left them and went out of the city into Bethany, and He lodged there. Matthew 21 : 12-17.

So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple and overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Jesus; because they feared Him because all the people were astonished at His teaching. When evening had come, He went out of the city. Mark 11: 15-19.

Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him and were unable to do anything, for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. Luke 19: 45-48.

This is really important, you have to know this:

  • Jesus did not come to make peace with corruption; He came to expose it and drive it out. When He entered the temple—the very heart of Israel’s worship—He found it defiled by greed, exploitation, and irreverence.

  • And with holy authority, Jesus overturned the tables, silenced the commerce, and declared with fire in His voice: “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.”

  • This was not gentle rebuke—it was divine judgment. And yet, in that same space, once cleansed, the blind and the lame came to Him, and He healed them.

  • This is the heart of Jesus: He casts out corruption, not to destroy, but to make room for the broken, the humble, and the needy. The temple was not meant for profit—but for prayer. Not for thieves—but for the hurting. And Jesus restored it to its true purpose, if only for a moment.

  • Today, the temple is not made of stone, but of hearts. And Jesus still walks in. When He finds tables of self-interest, pride, or hypocrisy, He does not ignore them—He overturns them.

    Jesus cleanses what is defiled, so that healing may enter. And He will not stop until His house—your heart—is once again a house of prayer.Will you let Him in? Will you let Him cleanse? Will you let Him reign?